MIAMI – Jewelry designer Elena Tablada has not only worked for renowned fashion houses like Mango, Kamoli and Evax, but her innovative line of imitation jewelry has caught the attention of artists like Alejandro Sanz, Luis Fonsi and Miguel Angel Silvestre.

“Every piece of jewelry I design is unique, because each one of us is unique,” Tablada, the Madrid-born daughter of Cuban immigrants, told Efe in Miami, where she now lives and works.

“With my work, I want people to feel happy,” she added and that is why she selected the image of a smiling Buddha as part of her logo, since it symbolizes the purest and most eternal happiness.

However, she said that her artistic vision is not inspired by a religion, but rather “simply by the joy of living.”

Although she only recently graduated from the Miami International University of Art & Design, Tablada has already worked for outstanding brands and her own jewelry line E.T.N.A., which incorporates the initials of her name and that of her sister Naele, has captured the attention of numerous performers and artists.

“I have the honor that great artists wear my jewelry, and that makes me feel very proud because I know that they don’t use them because there’s a friendship between us but because they really like them,” she said.

Of course, Tablada does not deny that one of the most ardent fans of her work is also her boyfriend, Spanish singer David Bisbal, for whom she designed the line of costume jewelry he used on his “Premonicion” world concert tour.

But although she does not hide their relationship, she prefers not to go into details about it.

“David and I have been together for four years and, of course, it’s complicated due to both of our careers. But in a relationship, you have to focus on the good things, on what works,” she said, going on to remark that “for now, we have no marriage plans.”

Tablada’s inspiration has been with her ever since she was a little girl, when she enjoyed rummaging through her mother’s jewel box and trying on what she found there.

“I remember that when I was a little girl, I put on the earrings of the women in my family, and I entertained myself making bracelets with string and colored beads,” she said.

The idea of working with semi-precious stones – turquoise, amethyst, quartzes and corals – came later, when she made a trip to India that awakened her senses and gave her her unique creative vision.

“Really, at the end of my studies, I didn’t know what I wanted to focus on, and in seeking a direction, I traveled to India. There, the energy of that country and its people, the contrasts, the quality of the light, everything, led me to create pieces that are a mixture of influences, because they combine the Oriental culture with the Western,” she said.

In India, she got to know suppliers of precious stones that, literally, changed her way of working, making it more interactive, since Elena believes that “the stones have energy and power; minerals have energy.”

“Therefore, on my Web site (www.elenatablada.com) people have the option to help design their jewelry – choosing the stones, the minerals – and making each piece a reflection of who he or she is,” she explained.

At present, Tablada is devoting all her energy to designing jewelry, but she has many plans for the future, like creating a line of bathing suits, among other things.

She admits that, for now, “seeing someone with one of my pieces on the street fills me with happiness.”

And that happiness is a word that is repeated constantly in the life of the designer, and that is reflected in each one of her creations. EFE

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